Easel construction



June 16, 1953 E. F. JAROS 2,641,964

EASEL CONSTRUCTION Filed July 23 1951 INVENTOR.

.17 Arne/vs Patented June 16, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EASEL CONSTRUCTION Edward F. Jaros, Arcadia, Calif., assignor to Schocn Products Company, Gardena, Calif., a corporation of California Application July 23, 1951, Serial No. 238,080

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a frame or easel construction for use in photography for holding sensitized paper sheets while projecting thereon enlargements from photographic negatives.

Handling of sensitized paper under dark room conditions when making enlarged prints is usually very difficult and awkward because prior proposed holders of the sensitized paper have been complicated and cumbersome to handle. Such prior proposed holders usually included complex frame structures wherein one or more masking edges were adjustable by suitable means to determine the size of the enlargement print. The construction of some prior holders did not facilitate ready insertion of sensitized paper sheets into the holder in the dark room and as a result the sensitized paper was often damaged or improperly positioned. Such prior proposed holders were expensive, diificult to manufacture, and required careful handling.

An object of thi invention is to design and provide an improved, novel construction of a frame or easel for holding sensitized photographic paper sheets.

' Another object of this invention is to design and provide a frame or easel construction wherein the easel is designed to facilitate and guide insertion and removal of sensitized photographic paper sheets.

A further object of this invention is to design an improved easel construction comprising a minimum of parts and reducing to a minimum manufacturing operations to produce the easel construction so that a simple, inexpensive print holding frame or easel is provided.

Still another object of this invention is to design an easel construction for use in photography wherein the easel is made principally from a single blank of sheet metal stock.

This invention contemplates an easel construction wherein a single blank of sheet metal stock is processed in a minimum number of manufacturing operations to form a holder for a sensitized sheet of photographic paper and to provide suitable access means to said sheet of paper for facilitating the positioning of the sheet on the easel.

Generally speaking, this invention comprises an easel suitable for holding a sensitized paper sheet when producing photographic prints. easel includes principally a single blank or plate of sheet metal stock having a smooth, fiat top surface of generally rectangular form, each corner of the rectangular blank being notched with a right angle recess. The corner recesses define The longitudinally extending side strips which are adapted to be infolded over the blank in order to form longitudinally extending channels for receipt of photographic paper. Opposite end extensions of the blank as defined by the corner recesses are curved slightly downwardly to provide an apron for guiding photographic paper into said channels. The end extensions and the adjacent sections of the intermediate or main portion of the blank are stamped to form at each end spaced longitudinally extending metal tabs which may be first bent downwardly and then bent outwardly to provide spaced legs and feet for supporting the main portion of the blank a suitable height above a supporting surface. The stamping out of the metal tabs provides at each end of the blank a pair of longitudinally extending slots Which provide access openings for accommodating fingers of an operator to position a photographic paper sheet introduced into said channels. The infolded longitudinal side strips support and carry at each end of the blank transverse members which define transverse masking edges. Thus an easel construction is provided which has fixed longitudinal and transverse masking edges but the cost of manufacture is so reduced by this construction that the cost of a set of easels for enlargement prints of various sizes is relatively inexpensive as compared with prior proposed print holders.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an easel construction embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken in a Vertical plane indicated by line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken in the plane indicated by line IIIIII of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a blank of sheet metal stock from which the easel construction shown in Fig. 1 is formed.

Referring first to Fig. i, there is shown a flat, generally rectangular blank [0 of sheet metal stock, said blank being provided with a flat, smooth, planar top surface H. The blank Hlis formed, as by stamping from suitable sheet metal stock, with right angle recesses or notches l2 at each corner, said notches l2 defining longitudinally extending side marginal strips 13 and transverse end extensions Id. The transverse end edges l5 of the side strips 13 may, for purposes of description, be said to define an intermediate rectangular main portion or plate 16.

The longitudinal side strips 13 may be infolded along prolongations of side edges ll of notches (2 into spaced relation with adjacent sections of the main portion is to form longitudinally extending parallel inwardly facing channels Ill. The channels it are adapted to receive therein marginal edges of a sensitized precut photographic paper sheet to be used in making a photographic print or enlargement. The spacing of channels l8 may be varied for diiferent widths of paper sheets. The edges [9 of infolded side strips l3 define accurate parallel longitudinal masking edges.

The end extensions l i may each be stamped or punched to provide spaced parallel longitudinally extending open ended slots 20 adjacent to side strips l3, said slots 28 extending into the main portion inwardly of the end edges of side strips [3. The inwardly extending slots provide access openings for manipulation of sensitized paper held by the plate by insertion of fingers, beneath said paper and in said slots.

Metal tabs 2| provided by punching out slots 20 along parallel longitudinal lines are each formed with a downwardly extending leg 22 and an outwardly horizontally extending foot 23. Each leg 22 is integrally connected to the main portion at the transverse inner end of the respective slot 29. Since each leg 22 is spaced inwardly ofthe end edges E5 of strips it, the end extensions and adjacent sections of the main portion overhang the feet 23 for a selected distance depending upon the depth of slot 26. The legs 22 are of sufficient length to support the main portion it of the blank a suitable and convenient distance above a supporting surface, as

a table, so as'to facilitate insertion of the fingers into slots 20 and beneath the sensitized paper sheet. The height of plate It may be conveniently selected to afford ample vertical clearance for accommodating fingers beneath the overhang- 1.

ing sections of the main portion and extensions by bending the feet 23 outwardly at points spaced closer to the free end of each tab.

Transverse end masking means may be provided by transverselydisposed angle section mem- .5

bers 24 supported by opposed ends of the infolded side strips I3. Each transverse member 24 may be secured to the opposed strips l3 in any suitable manner as by spot Welding. Each transverse member 24 extends across blank Hi and above spaced slots 28. The inner edge 26 of the transverse member 24 serves as a masking edge, and said edges may be spaced a standard or suitable distance apart for making preselected enlarged prints.

Each end extension it provides a guide apron curved slightly downwardly as at 2'! to facilitate guiding of a sheet of paper stock into a transverse mouth or opening defined by ends of the channels 58 and transverse members 2 5. The overhanging sections of the easel as determined by the depth of slots 2!] affords side clearance at each end of the easel whereby lateral insertion of the fingers may be made therebeneath to facilitate positioning of a paper sheet as desired.

Such an arrangement is particularly advantageous when a paper sheet is being first intro duced into the side channels. It will thus be readily apparent that a precut paper sheet may be quickly and accurately guided onto the easel into proper position with respect to the masking edges.

The simplicity and efficiency of the easel construction described above is evident from the fact that the easel comprises only three parts,

the principal one being a generally rectangular blank or plate formed to provide (1) a supporting surface for a precut photographic paper sheet, (2) side channels to guide the paper sheet and properly position the sheet laterally, and (3) supporting leg and foot means for spacing the plate a suitable distance above .a surface to permit easy manipulation of the paper sheet by means of the finger access openings. The other two parts are identical, namely, the two transverse masking members of angle section. It will thus be obvious that the easel construction designed above is not only inexpensive to manufacture but also minimizes production operations. The metal of the sheet metal blank is efficiently utilized and Waste of metal is reduced to a minimum.

The advantages of the easel construction described above, when used under dark room conditions, are readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The curved apron on each end of the easel guides and facilitates the insertion of an end of precut paper sheet into the side channels. The paper sheet may be readily adjusted longitudinally of the easel by inserting fingers either laterally or longitudinally into the access openings so as to properly position the sheet with respect to the transverse masking edges. The spaced openings at each end of the easel permit two fingers to be used at each end and thus ample control is given to readily move the paper sheet as desired.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the formation of the blank of sheet metal stock and in the spacing of the masking edges defined by the longitudinal edges of the side portions and the transverse edges of the transverse members soas to accommodate various sizes of precut paper sheets. All such modifications and changes coming within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

I claim:

1. An easel construction comprising: asingle blank of sheet metal stock having a smooth flat top surface, said blank having a main portion of rectangular form and of uniform width, and end extensions of less width than said main portion, said main portion and end extensions being defined by recesses at each corner of the blank, said main portion having longitudinally extending side marginal strips adapted to beinfolded into spaced relation with adjacent sections of the main portion to form parallel inwardly facing side channels, said recesses defining the width of said side strips; said infolded marginal strips having longitudinally extending masking edges and adapted to support transverse members providing transverse masking edges; said end extensions having downwardly curved outer margins to guide a paper sheet to be printed into the side channels; means forming a pair of spaced parall l longitudinal slots in each end extension, said slots extending-into said main portion; and metal tabs, provided by forming said slots, each being bent first downwardly and then outwardly to form a leg and a foot for supporting said main portion above a supporting surface, said legs being spaced inwardly from said end extensions for accommodating lateral insertion of fingers beneath ends of said blank.

2. An easel for use in photography comprising: a flat rectangular, smooth surfaced plate; longitudinally extending side marginal strips integral with said plate and infolded thereover in spaced relation to form inwardly facing side channels; the inner edges of said strips defining parallel longitudinal masking edges; transverse members carried by opposed ends of said strips and providing parallel transverse masking edges; end extensions integral with said plate projecting outwardly beyond said transverse members; outer margins of said extensions being downwardly curved; means for supporting said plate above a supporting surface, said means including transversely spaced metal tabs integral with said plate, each tab providing a depending leg and a horizontally outwardly extending foot; said tabs being stamped from said plate and said extensions; and spaced longitudinal slots formed in 6 said plate and extensions by said stamped out tabs for positioning a paper sheet to be held by said plate.

3. In an easel as defined in claim 2 wherein said spaced slots are open-ended in said extensions.

4. In an easel as defined in claim 2 wherein said longitudinal slots extend beneath and inwardly of the transverse member.

EDWARD F. J AROS.

Name Date Raiff May 18, 1943 Number 

